Giving importance to the role of information technology in operations, Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge today, in interim Rail Budget 2014, spelt out a series of steps including SMS alerts and online booking of meals in trains.

"IT has revolutionised our customer interface over the last few years. We intend to continue the process," he said in the Lok Sabha.

He announced several initiatives such as proliferation of cash accepting Automatic Ticket Vending Machines and ticketing on mobile phones in the unreserved segment.